Volume One: The Outcast Sets Forth, Blazing Demon-Slaying Chapter Fifty: Not a Soul in the Village, Fed and Satisfied

Yang Chengzi and the master were in the midst of conversation when they saw Chen San rushing over in a fluster.

"In broad daylight again—did you have another dream? Who’s chasing you this time?" Yang Chengzi teased.

Waving his hands anxiously, Chen San replied, "Chase? Who’s chasing me? Something big’s happened. I-I-I can’t stay in the soul consciousness realm anymore."

Hearing this, Yang Chengzi’s joking expression instantly turned grave. He furrowed his brows and grabbed Chen San's wrist. "What did you just say?"

Chen San pulled a long face and looked at the master. "Master, I can’t use the Spirit Summoning Technique anymore."

"Don’t panic, explain carefully. What exactly happened?"

"I-I-I-I... oh!" Chen San stammered, hopping about anxiously and slapping his thighs.

Yang Chengzi shook his head and pinned him down. "Calm down. Tell us what happened so we can make sense of it together."

Finally settling down, Chen San answered, "I was just sensing the beast spirits of the birds and animals over there. At first, everything was fine, but soon after, my soul sea lit up, and I was forced out of the soul consciousness realm."

"Did you try again?" Yang Chengzi asked.

Chen San nodded so vigorously his head looked like a bobbing drum. He exchanged a glance with Monk Suichang.

"Could it have something to do with the phantom demon inside him?" Yang Chengzi wondered.

Monk Suichang nodded. "I believe it’s related to the phantom demon, but perhaps the great cosmic array on his body is influencing him as well. With spiritual energy constantly gathering in his body, the soul sea fills with it. When he enters the spirit sense, it’s as blinding as staring into the sun."

"Master is right. The phantom demon is suppressed and sealed by the three-tailed spirit fox and Wan’er, so it shouldn’t pose a threat to Chen San. There’s no record of the great cosmic array being used on a person, so we don’t know all the side effects. Now, if he can’t access his spiritual sense, that’s a flaw. That means for now, Chen San can’t use the Spirit Summoning Technique. On the journey back, it’ll fall on the two of us to deal with any demons we encounter."

Monk Suichang narrowed his eyes at Chen San. "That’s not necessarily the case."

"Master, do you have an idea?" Yang Chengzi asked in surprise.

"If our guess is correct, and it’s the great cosmic array interfering with Chen San’s spiritual sense, there is a solution."

Chen San interrupted, "Master, don’t be mysterious. Please explain. I feel that without me, it’ll be very hard for us to return to Chen Family Town."

"You’re right. Without Chen San’s Spirit Summoning Technique, if we face those fierce ghosts and great demons again, with our depleted numbers, we might truly not make it back. If Chen San must act, we can temporarily deactivate the array on him. Little Fox and the Ghost Spirit don’t require a constant influx of cosmic spiritual energy—they’re already filled with energy. As soon as their power wanes and the seal begins to falter, we’ll reactivate the great array. By my calculation, it should last for the time it takes to burn two sticks of incense, which is sufficient. The Spirit Summoning Technique only takes about half a stick to determine the outcome, so it’s enough."

Yang Chengzi was deeply shocked by Monk Suichang’s words. The great cosmic array was his own creation, yet the master had observed it so closely, he could even estimate the intervals at which spiritual energy would be depleted.

Yang Chengzi swallowed hard. "Let’s test it and see. If that’s the case, then it’s not such a big problem after all." With that, he closed his eyes and reached out to Wan’er and the Little Fox. "Wan’er, Little Fox, without the cosmic spiritual energy, how long can you maintain the seal?"

Wan’er replied, "The master is correct—about the time it takes two sticks of incense to burn. At the start, the energy drains rapidly. Perhaps we should test it now, so we’ll have an idea of how long it will actually last, which will help us plan our journey."

"That’s just what I was thinking. I’ll close the array now. If you can’t hold on, I’ll reactivate it. Let’s see how long you can last." With that, Chen San took off his shirt. Yang Chengzi pressed two fingers, knuckles touching the ancient coin. After a short while, the coin fell off.

"Now try sensing the spiritual realm. No need to use the full Spirit Summoning Technique, just focus your senses."

Chen San nodded, sat cross-legged, and began to meditate. As he entered the soul consciousness realm, brilliant light began to appear around him, and he reached out with his senses.

Time trickled by. After half a stick of incense, Yang Chengzi glanced at Monk Suichang and nodded.

It was just as they suspected—the great cosmic array was affecting Chen San’s perception. Now it was only a matter of how long the Little Fox and the Ghost Spirit could endure.

The sun was already high, and Chang Yu fanned herself from the heat. An entire stick of incense burned down, but Chen San remained in meditation, his spirit wandering the world.

Yang Chengzi called out, "Wan’er, how are you holding up?"

Wan’er replied, "Half our energy is gone, and the Little Fox is about the same. Conservatively speaking, including physical exertion, if we use the Spirit Summoning Technique, we can last just under two sticks of incense."

Monk Suichang nodded. "That’s enough. There’s no need to go further—the Spirit Summoning Technique only requires half a stick of incense at most. Anything more is pointless."

Yang Chengzi replaced the coin at the array’s core. No sooner had he done so than spiritual energy surged in from all directions, pressing the coin down until it was embedded in the flesh.

Almost simultaneously, Chen San opened his eyes and exited the soul consciousness realm, scratching his head. "I didn’t sense hundreds of birds and beasts this time. Did they die so quickly?"

Yang Chengzi frowned. "Impossible. Once awakened, those birds and beasts should live at least three to five days. How could they die so soon?"

"Really, try sensing for yourself. Is the cosmic spiritual energy also affecting what I can perceive?"

Monk Suichang spoke up, "Let me try. If they’re dead, we may not have escaped this Celestial Constellation Phenomenon yet." He closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again.

"Eighty-nine birds and beasts are still alive—a few have indeed died. It seems those villains have realized the spirit awakening technique is being used. We may have drawn some away, but some are bound to cross our path. We should prepare ourselves."

Yang Chengzi sighed. "There’s nothing to be done. This is the best outcome we could hope for—at least it’s not a certain death. Let’s get on the road. The sooner we return to Chen Family Town, the sooner we can resolve this trouble."

Chen San rolled his eyes and pouted, "Who’s the trouble? Who? Wasn’t it you who sealed me up in the first place?"

Yang Chengzi laughed and shook his head. "Of course, the phantom demon is the trouble. You’re a big headache, but you can hardly be compared to the phantom demon. What’s this? Two days in the seal and you’ve developed feelings for it? Can’t bear to say so?"

Chen San rolled his eyes. "Deep feelings indeed. Let’s hurry up. We’ll soon reach Jingyao Village. I need a good night’s sleep and a full meal. Sleeping on the ground every day leaves me aching all over."

"You’re like a pig—always thinking about food and sleep, even with disaster at our doorstep..."

With that, the group set out toward Jingyao Village.

The weather was scorching. They walked with many stops, and it took them the whole day to reach Jingyao Village.

The sight that greeted them left everyone stunned. The village was dilapidated and lifeless. The fences were broken and unrepaired, the yards overgrown with weeds—nearly every household was the same. Even the trees in the yards were withered, and thatch from many roofs had already fallen off.

Though it wasn’t yet dark, there wasn’t a soul in sight, not even a dog. After only a few steps, Chang Yu, frightened, clung to Yang Chengzi. The others were equally dumbfounded. When they left Fu Family Village, the village chief hadn’t mentioned that Jingyao Village was in such a state.

Yang Chengzi frowned and turned to Monk Suichang. "Master, it seems a calamity has struck this village—it’s already deserted. Should we move on or stay here for the night?"

"Amitabha. This scene is indeed the aftermath of disaster. We should check the houses. There are no signs of pillage or murder, so if it’s an epidemic and the villagers died inside, we can’t stay here. But if it’s the work of some evil spirit, it’s not as concerning—we can exorcise or seal it. Let’s investigate first."

They circled the entire village without finding a single living soul, then chose a larger house to settle in. When Chen San pushed open the door, the interior was not as desolate as outside—just a layer of dust. The bedding was still neatly on the beds. Seeing the bedding, Chang Yu was overjoyed. Though the weather was hot, it gave her a feeling of home—far better than sleeping on the ground.

The group inspected the house. Everything was there. Judging by the thickness of the blankets, the residents left just before summer. Aside from the absence of ready food and water, the kitchen was fully equipped. Chen San nearly drooled at the sight of water ladles and bowls.

While there was still sunlight, they brought out all the bedding to air on the fences, beating out the dust and letting it breathe.

Yang Chengzi checked the neighboring houses—they were in the same condition: the people had simply left, with no sign of plague. He brought back more bowls and utensils.

There were eight people in their group. Monk Suichang had injured his leg in Fu Family Village, so four young men from there took turns carrying him and Yang Chengzi along the way.

Whether Yang Chengzi and Chen San returned to Chen Family Town was not urgent, but Monk Suichang had to regroup with the old Daoist and the others to slay the calamity demon sealed beneath Chen Family Town.

With more people, food became a problem. Only Chen San and Yang Chengzi could cook, so the two of them had no choice but to manage. The young men went out to gather firewood and wild vegetables, while Chang Yu and the master fetched water and did the washing nearby.

Chen San had the spirit tiger catch some game. He intended to stew it in one pot, thinking the spirit tiger could use a change of diet, but the tiger refused, roaring until Chen San’s scalp tingled. In the end, he had to roast two rabbits for the tiger over a small fire, while the rest enjoyed a hearty venison soup, three types of wild greens, and what little rice was left in the jar. It was a satisfying meal.

In a place like this, having something to eat was already fortunate. When they first arrived, Chen San’s heart had sunk, thinking they’d sleep outside again. Instead, conditions weren’t so bad—venison soup and meat were rare delicacies.

After the feast, with the tables full of bones and dishes, Yang Chengzi thought they should tidy up since it was someone else’s house. But Chen San argued persuasively—after all, the village had been abandoned for so long that by winter, some houses might collapse, so cleaning was pointless.

Once a house is devoid of human presence, it’s prone to collapse. According to Daoist geomancy, houses are of earth and wood, while people are water and fire. Human presence in a house balances yin and yang—people and their homes are mutually sustaining. Without shelter, people fall into misfortune; without people, a house loses its water and fire aspects, yin and yang become unbalanced, and unclean things can move in. Over time, yin energy accumulates and erodes the house itself. Fortunately, Yang Chengzi hadn’t found any ghosts here yet.